Leafs Defenseman Chris Tanev in Agony After Blocking Shot With His Face

Early in the second period of an unusual afternoon game on New Year's Eve for the Leafs, defenseman Chris Tanev was battling in front of Joseph Woll with Islanders captain Anders Lee.

While battling with Lee, Mathew Barzal uncorked a shot from the blueline that deflected off of Jake McCabe's stick and inadvertently struck Tanev in the face, leaving him bloodied and in need of attention.

Tanev dropped to the ice momentarily to collect himself, and possibly some teeth before immediately taking off to the Leafs dressing room for repairs.

The 35-year old returned on Friday after missing last Monday's game with a lower-body injury and certainly gave the Leafs and the fans a scare.

However, after some repairs, Tanev returned to the ice later in the second period. Talk about a warrior mentality.

signed to a 6-year deal in July, Tanev was brought in to stabilize the right side of the blueline and play with Morgan Rielly.

While he and Rielly as a pair have not worked, Tanev has found tremendous success alongside Jake McCabe as the Leafs' shutdown pairing.

The undrafted defenseman is known for his toughness and putting his body on the line game in and game out as evidenced by leading the team with 102 blocked shots and counting through 36 games.